


Call it Fate, Call it Karma

by Saturn_Knight



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Cordyceps OC, Did I make a bug version of a dog sled team? yes yes i did, Eye Gouging, Grimmkin OC, Injury Recovery, Loose Interpretation of how Wyrms recover from major injuries, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Major TW for those two tags, Monarch Butterfly OC, Non-detailed Medical Procedures, Original Character(s), Original Kingdom, Pharloom is mentioned, Set in the Hollow Knight Universe, The Nightmare King is mentioned, This is a backstory on how my two OCs meet, This is all OC centric so no in game characters appear, slight alcohol use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:00:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28900053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saturn_Knight/pseuds/Saturn_Knight
Summary: Fuego's journey was supposed to be easy, cross the mountain range, explore the Kingdom, and then go home. He never expected to be kidnapped and almost held for ransom by the Kingdom's ruler. Injured and hunted in a strange land, the grimmkin must rely on a butterfly with a secretive past to escapeor alternatively,Backstory to how my OCs meet that I spent too much time on
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 3





	Call it Fate, Call it Karma

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there dear readers! Welcome back to another one of my works. I was planning on another installment in the Modern AU before this but this idea got my attention more. 
> 
> A little backstory on my OC Fuego, he's a Grimmkin (As in what Troupe Master Grimm is, not the little laughing ghosts that had the Flames) that broke free of the Ritual when his SheWyrm mother decided to make a gamble with the Heart. The Empire Plan was the gamble, destroy 4 Kingdoms and harvest their flames to use them to create a new Grimm to do the Ritual instead of Fuego before he turns 19. It worked, but left Fuego with only one flame left in his body to keep him alive, no powers. Now instead of being the next Troupe Master to die, he becomes a Prince of the newly established Empire. 
> 
> This story takes place a few decades after the Empire Plan, and before the ingame events of Hollow Knight.   
> Hallownest is established underground, the Empire and the Rime Kingdom are all aboveground with Pharloom being both above and below the surface. 
> 
> Also MAJOR TW for Loss of Limbs and Eye Injuries!!!! If you don't want to read it please read up until:  
> “Before he could question what the not-root meant with a “piece of him” he felt something grab his tail.” and skip until “Recalling his old powers…”

Fuego never thought this would happen, all he had done was cross the border into the mysterious Rime Kingdom. He had asked his mother if she was interested in seeing what this secretive kingdom over the Calamity mountain range had to offer, the SheWyrm had waved it off, citing it as “too far away to conquer.” But she had agreed for him to travel into the frozen kingdom, at least just to gather intel in case they proved to be a problem later on. 

He was excited to travel some more, after an attempt at his life by insurrectionists he had decided to stay put in the Capital, just to make sure his mother didn’t worry. Plus it was fun to mess with his sibling Lune as they worked on their fun little building projects. But his soul yearned for new, uncharted paths, and the Rime Kingdom sounded alluring according to the rumors. Glittering snow fields, a grand forest of evergreens, and a giant palace deep in a glacier. It was the complete opposite of the MonteSangre Empire with its arid deserts and lush jungles; Fuego’s claws itched at the thought of seeing the winter snows. 

Travelling through the Empire was easy, and the journey through the Sarjo Desert had been a pleasant one, the oasis outpost reminded him of his childhood when he wasn’t Prince Fuego, just a very annoying fire breathing child. Getting through the southern side of the Calamity range was a tougher deal, there had been an entrance to ferry pilgrims through the range into Pharloom, but he didn’t trust the pass. Too many bugs went through, scarce few exited the path, so that left him with the unused wyrm canyons. Luckily his mother had taught him enough survival skills to ensure he never died in the wilderness, but the canyons proved a difficult trek still. 

“When I come back I’m using the Pharloom road.” Fuego grumbled at himself as the temperature plummeted, an indicator that he was near the Rime Kingdom. Finally after a week’s worth of canyon hopping he finally made it, the silver fields were in sight. His excitement grew at the sight, and he had skid down the cliff top in his rush to find the nearest town for a well deserved rest. 

It wasn’t until he was trotting through the snow covered forest that he felt something off, everything was quiet, too quiet. Even in the empty wyrm canyons there had been the chittering of lesser bugs scuttling through the rock, but here, the only sound Fuego could hear was the crunch of his feet underneath the snow. But in the distance there had been a column of smoke, something that filled the grimmkin with hope, where there was fire, there were bugs tending to it, bugs that could help him get to the next town. He was already shivering at the intense cold that had assaulted his shell the moment he stepped foot into the Kingdom. 

He decided to keep his nail sheathed on his back so as to not alarm whoever was at that fire, didn’t want to look as if he had less than friendly intentions. 

That was the worst mistake of his life. 

When he neared the clearing he could see it wasn’t just some simple campfire, it was an outpost. Even better! Fuego thought, an outpost meant a town near it for supplies. He could already feel his head hit a soft inn pillow and his tail swished happily at the thought of a hot meal. Breaking into a jog Fuego neared the outpost, only to find what looked like soldiers posted at the gates. 

“Halt! State your business at the Southern Outpost,” A beetle boomed out as they raised their nail as a warning, “If you have no business here I’d suggest heading back to where you came from, unless you want to be at the end of my nail.” 

Fuego raised his arms up before calling out to the guard, “Hello there friend! I’m just a traveller in search of some shelter, you don’t happen to know where the nearest village is?” He gave the guards a smile, hopefully he came off as someone nonthreatening, even with his nature as a Grimmkin. 

The guards glanced at each other before the previously silent soldier responded.“Traveler, where are you from? You don’t seem to know that the country and the roads to the capital city of Glacier Point are closed to outsiders for the moment, a village would just turn you away.” With that Fuego blinked, maybe they had the wrong information? The rumors of the kingdom had said it was open for travel and trade, perhaps there’s been an unknown event to cause a closure.    
  


“I am from the MonteSangre Empire, I don’t suppose you know of it?” Fuego questioned. With the mention of the Empire the guards perked up. The guard who had pointed their nail at Fuego lowered it and gave the grimmkin a smile that didn’t quite reach their eyes. 

“Ah the Empire across the range! Why didn’t you say so, I got a friend in the Empire! If you want to you can stay at the outpost for a night just as long as you leave in the morning.” 

Fuego was a bit stunned, but hey he thought, don’t look a gift weevil in the mouth. Plus the cold was already making him desperate for any heat. Nodding at the guards Fuego walked towards the gate as one of them gave a yell to open it. What he didn’t notice was the other guards hand reaching for their staff. As soon as he passed into the entrance of the outpost he pitched forward as the staff collided with the back of his head. With a yelp he landed in the slush, only able to make out someone saying “Oh the King’s gonna love this one.” before he felt the void rush to his eyes and he blacked out. 

* * *

Waking up he felt like his head was splitting open, dimly he recognized that something was preventing him from moving, probably a rope or a chain. There was shuffling noise all around him as he tried to sit up from the cold floor he was on. As his eyes focused he could see he was not in the outpost, but some type of grand hall, icy blue archways crisscrossing the ceiling. He noticed that his Nail was missing from it’s sheath on his back. How long was he out? He was about to test the strength of his bindings to see if he could wiggle out of them before a hush fell throughout the hall, and a voice rang out. 

“Ah the Empire bug, I was wondering when someone like you would show up here in the Rime Kingdom.” The voice was unnatural, as if the ice itself could talk. Fuego’s eyes narrowed in on the speaker and they widened at the sight. Across from where he was stood  _ something  _ he could only describe as not a bug, it looked like a root but  _ not.  _ It slithered towards him, and what looked to be eyes stared at him intensely. 

“W-where am I and why am I here?” Fuego’s anger bubbled at the memory of those two guards at the outpost and without a second thought he blurted out, “I am a Prince of the MonteSangre Empire! I demand you to let me go!” His voice reverberated throughout the hall, and the few bugs that were witness to this stood stock still. 

“Prince? Ah then it seems the frost has been generous for me to not only receive an Empire bug, but a  _ prince _ .” The not-root mused, “My plans have changed for the better. Regrettably I must keep you here until the Empress agrees to my treaty, she has something that I do terribly need, and you’re just the perfect little  _ bargaining  _ chip to get it.” The not-root scuttled closer to Fuego, whose face was contorted into a look of confusion and anger. 

“You think just because you caught me and tied me up she’s going to agree to your stupid treaty? She’d destroy this Kingdom before ever giving you what you need. Who do you think you are?” Fuego spat. He couldn’t believe it, being kidnapped and held for ransom was not on his list of things to do in the Rime Kingdom. 

At his words the not-root stopped a near foot away from him before hissing, “I am King of this land, lord of Glacier Point and I  _ know  _ that she’ll agree to my conditions when I send back a piece of you to show that my threats aren’t idle.” The King lifted a tendril and Fuego could hear the sound of heavy gauntlets marching behind him. Before he could question what the not-root meant with a “piece of him” he felt something grab his tail. 

Suddenly it felt like time had stopped when he heard a  _ shing  _ and for a moment didn’t recognize the way he couldn’t feel his tail anymore. But then pain erupted as he screamed in agony.

_ They had cut off his tail. _ He nearly blacked out again because of how intense the pain was, his mind screeching out a repeated ohmystarstheycutOFFMYTAIL. 

“HOW COULD YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” Fuego had wailed as he could feel his hemolymph pool on the ground. Without thinking he lunged at the King, intending to at least try to bite the not-root in an attempt to maul it. The king sidestepped his lunge and in a swift motion harshly grabbed the grimmkin’s face and lifted him up to its face. 

“Now I don’t take kindly to threats of violence, especially threats from captives.” The king snarled as Fuego wiggled in its grip, hands still bound to his back. “You know, I recognize what species you are Prince of the Empire, you’re from the scarlet clan.” A tendril reached up to Fuego’s face and formed itself into a sharp point. “How strange you are, the Scarlet Clan’s masters usually have streaks across their faces, and you do not.” 

Fuego stiffened, left eye squinting to get away from the King’s tendril. He had no Troupe Streaks because the empire plan was successful, he was free of the Hearts influence, but that had left him with no fire magic. Stars, how he wished he had even a small sliver of it back. 

“Hmm, kin of the Scarlet Clan  _ should  _ have those markings don’t you agree?” The not-root said as it poised the needle sharp tendril at the top of his left eye, “ _ I can remedy that.” _

Fuego thrashed in its grip, terrified at what the not-root meant, and it simply tightened its hold as the tendril sliced into his face. He shrieked as he felt it gouge into his brow and  _ carve a line  _ down all the way to his eye. The king paused, as if debating on whether or not to continue, before inserting the needle tendril into Fuego’s eye. 

Fuego  _ howled  _ as the tendril  **squirmed** around his eye, ripping apart delicate filament before it left his eye with a sickening  _ schick.  _ He squeezed his eye shut, feeling a mix of both tears and hemolymph staining his face. He was definitely blind in his left eye now, there was no amount of Soul that could fix that. In a blind panic to not have his other eye bear the same fate his mind wracked through any way to escape. He  _ needed  _ to escape, simply waiting for his mother to save him was out of the question if the King was just going to injure him even further. 

Recalling his old powers, he remembered before the empire plan was a success he could teleport. He tried focusing on the feeling of it, like becoming smoke for a split second and ending up in another place. He knew it wouldn’t work, the only flame left in his shell was to keep him alive; there wasn’t enough to help make the jump, but he had to try. As the King reformed its tendril after shaking off the excess hemolymph, Fuego concentrated. 

Then, as if a miracle was bestowed to him, he felt that same energy before and latched onto it, thinking of any place than where he was now. With a sharp twist of his body he jumped, feeling his head spin as he teleported out of the not-root’s grip. Landing in a heap he found himself in what seemed to be a back hall. Still bound, he struggled to stand as pain lanced his body and face, he needed to leave now. 

Stumbling through the hall, claws scrabbling for purchase as he grew dizzy with blood loss, he nearly sobbed as he heard marching in the distance. If he was caught, who knows what else the King would do to him to keep him incapacitated. Turning a corner he almost slammed into another bug, causing him to tumble to the ground and yelp as his still open tail wound met the cold tile. The other bug cursed before backing a few steps away from him. 

Staring up at the bug Fuego realized that it was a butterfly, maybe one of the servants in the castle. He noted the pack slung across their chest, something round stuffed in it. The butterfly gave a few nervous glances to the hall that they had come from before whispering to Fuego. 

“Are you the Empire Bug? From across the range?” Their voice was soft, but hurried as they shifted from foot to foot. It was clear that they were running from something. 

“I am, please help me, please.” Croaked out Fuego, if the butterfly was running from something, that meant escape. The butterfly backed a few steps before nodding, nearing him to cut the cord that kept his arms bound with a dagger they revealed from under their ice blue robe. With a grunt they managed to wrap one of his arms around their shoulder for support and they swiftly moved through another hall. “You have to walk, if you cannot I will have to leave you.” They hissed at him before taking a sharp turn into a smaller hallway. 

Fuego nodded, his head was still rushing from how much hemolymph was still leaking out of him, but he was lucid enough to move. Sometimes he could hear the slam of metal as soldiers presumably searched for him, whenever that happened the butterfly would curse before ducking into an alcove or a room to wait. 

Finally they found what seemed to be a delivery station, with a gate leading out to a snow covered city. The butterfly gripped his arm and ran toward the gate, opening it and pulling him through. 

“This way, we can hide in Glacier Point for a day to bandage your wounds, but after that we must leave and trek through the Everforest. I get us through the Kingdom, you get us into the Empire, does that sound like a deal?” The butterfly said as they weaved into the ice covered alleys. Fuego agreed, having a guide would be an immense advantage, especially now if the King sends out search parties to capture him. 

After running through a dizzying number of alleyways they finally stopped at what seemed to be a rundown tailor shop. When they entered they were met with an old shopkeep carefully hemming a cloak. 

“I find the weather today very pleasant, though there are storm clouds in the east.” The shopkeep drawled, eyes still on the cloak. Fuego was about to retort that he hadn’t seen any storm clouds visible before the butterfly squeezed his arm hard. 

“Storm clouds from the east brings fortune from the west.” The butterfly replied. The shopkeep finally looked up before walking over to a coat rack on the wall and pulling on a hook, revealing a secret passageway. The shopkeep ushered them both in, muttering a “I better mop the floors of hemolymph now” before shutting the passageway and leaving them in semi darkness as glowing light from a few jars along the walls flared as they walked by. 

“Where are we?” Fuego questioned, he needed to get rest now, his vision was already starting to swim in his good eye. The butterfly glanced at him before replying, “It’s my friends speakeasy, we’ll be safe here for the night.” Opening another door revealed the bar, softly lit by lumafly lanterns and mostly empty, the only bugs there seemed to be workers. The bartender finished polishing a glass before giving them a double take and rushing towards them. 

“Jo ã o! I’m so glad that you were able to make it out alive! But frost below who did you bring with you, they look like they’ve been through the ice floes and back!” The cricket wringed her hands together with a look of concern. The butterfly’s name was Jo ão, Fuego noted, it was a pretty name. 

“I’m fine Dama I don’t think they recognized me going missing with all the commotion going on in the great hall, and this is…” João shook Fuego a bit to rouse him from his half unconscious state.

“Ah, name’s Fuego” He slurred as he felt his legs buckle from exhaustion. Dama yelped before grabbing him on his other side and helping the butterfly lead him towards a booth. 

“He got fucked up pretty bad by Serenitus” João murmured to Dama as they laid him stomach down onto the booth, “You still have the first aid kit right?” The cricket nodded before calling out to the other worker to go get the kit. “He needs more than just some bandages, if he got hurt by Serenitus, he needs a heavy dose of Soul. We might need to go get a doctor, I’ll try to get you some soul potions right now after we patch him up.” Dama said as she stared at the grimmkin passed out below her. 

João nodded before opening the pack he had slung on his chest, sighing with relief that the object inside was still intact. Dama noticed it and gasped, “Is that yours?” When the butterfly winced she quickly backtracked, “Oh, João I’m so sorry.” Nodding at the cricket, he clasped the pack shut again. When the other worker came back with the med kit Dama shooed João away, telling him to go get some food in the kitchens while she tried cleaning up the bloody mess in front of them. 

The butterfly sighed, it was only now that the adrenaline from the past few hours had worn off, and he was tired. Checking the kitchen through the swinging door next to the bar he found a hunk of snow lily bread and some smoked icetik meat that was fresh out of the market. He had barely eaten in the morning, his nerves over the escape had been too much of a problem to finish his meal. But now he sat at a small table and stuffed his face full of the icetik meat. Downing it with some water the butterfly felt satisfied, his belly full and energy up. 

He hadn’t planned on saving the poor bug still passed out in the booth, but he saw the fear in Fuego’s eye and felt a kinship between them. They both had been hurt by the King of the Rime Kingdom, and João wasn’t going to just leave the grimmkin behind to be at the mercy of the cordyceps like his family had done to him, all for the sake of social status. But now he had a new life in the Empire to look forward to, the GreatStone area was supposed to be the farthest away from the Rime Kingdom. Now all he had to do was keep Fuego alive and cross without getting caught, simpler to plan than to execute. 

Patting the pack on his chest the butterfly stood up and walked over to where he had left Dama and Fuego. The former muttered to herself about how the injuries Fuego had were worse than what she had dealt with in the army. Looking over Fuego now João was relieved to see his breathing had evened out and the gash on his left eye was bandaged, though a small spot of hemolymph was making itself known through the white gauze. The cricket was currently dabbing hemolymph away from the base of Fuego’s tail stub. Luckily for them the cut seemed to have been one clean slice all the way through, that meant no irregular stitches needed to be made to close the wound. But the injury was still severe, one that needed a professional to look at. 

Tapping on Dama’s shoulder, the butterfly asked if she needed a break from tending to Fuego’s wounds. The cricket huffed at João’s insistence to help and let him take over, advising him to wipe away any hemolymph bubbling through the wound and to place gauze over it once the bleeding stopped, hopefully by that time Dama would be back with the soul potions. The cricket signalled to the other worker to watch the bar as she swiftly exited through the back entrance to head to the market district, leaving João alone with Fuego. 

João had done what she had instructed, glad that the hemolymph had stopped flowing. How the grimmkin had managed to lose this amount of hemolymph and not be already at death’s door astounded the butterfly. After plastering the gauze bandage onto the stub he had planned to simply watch over his sleeping charge, but João was startled when he heard a faint wheeze come from Fuego. 

Fuego hissed at the pain still wracking his body, opening his eye felt like trying to lift a boulder but he managed to crack it open to find it smooshed into the seating of the booth. Ah right, he had passed out from his injuries when they made it to the speakeasy, and they must’ve patched him up somewhat if the cloth covering his left eye was anything. His lower body still burned like the fires of the Nightmare Realm but at least now he could handle it. 

Opening his mouth only resulted in a small “ow” that got him a pulse of pain from his eye. Above him and out of his field of vision he heard a soft huff and felt a hand rest on his shoulder. “Didn’t think you’d be awake so soon,” Fuego heard the butterfly quip, “Do you need some water? Maybe some food?” 

“I need a whole bottle of alcohol.” Fuego croaked out. Stars above, he wished this was all just a very well planned nightmare and that somewhere in the Realm, the Nightmare King was laughing at him believing this was all real. But no, everything in the past day had happened, and that left Fuego with a sour taste in his mouth. 

João laughed at his comment, “I don’t think Dama would let me give you any of her liquor before you drink some water.” The butterfly stood from his spot on a stool and grabbed a flask as Fuego tried but failed to prop himself up, only able to lift his head to see the rest of the bar. “Do you need help lifting the flask to drink?” João questioned him as he winced. 

“I’m afraid I might,” the grimmkin replied, “Pain’s to fucking much to even hold myself up.” João nodded before returning to his seat and uncapping the top. The butterfly gently lifted the flask to Fuego’s mouth, slowly tipping the water towards his mouth. After a few mouthfuls he set the flask down onto a nearby table as Fuego slumped back down, already exhausted but grateful for the drink. 

“Thank you for the water, and for everything else,” Fuego said, “If it wasn’t for you I would’ve been caught.” He shuddered at the idea of that  _ thing  _ trying to hurt him again for an attempted escape. “Is there any way to repay you?”

“You’re welcome,” the butterfly replied before feigning contemplation, “Why don’t you get me into the Empire, and a small house, preferably with a nice plot of land, and then we can call it even.” João smirked, he was mostly jesting at the house part, he could probably find a distant cousin of his family that refused to migrate north somewhere and live with them. 

A chuckle rose from Fuego’s prone form, like crackling flames, “For all that you’ve done, I’ll get you a mansion in the center ring of the Capital and a chunk of the Glass Ocean shoreline.” The butterfly ducked his head, a chiming giggle escaping his mouth. 

“That would be nice, but let’s focus on keeping you alive first before getting me a mansion.” 

With that João heard the telltale patter of Dama’s claws on the floorboards and he lifted his head to face her, antennae twitching softly. In her hands she clutched two pairs of bags, the contents inside clinking against each other. Someone else was right behind her, a stonefly with a briefcase nervously glancing around. 

“I’m back, found and bought as many soul potions as I could find!” Dama gestured to the stonefly behind her as she set the bags down, “Plus I managed to convince Dr. Waxlin to come and help us for the night.” Grabbing one of the bottles, Dama uncorked it and handed it to João. The cricket motioned for the stonefly to have a seat and with that, went into the kitchens. 

João swirled the contents around, watching the pale blue liquid swish inside. Soul potions, pure liquid soul diluted with lifeblood, were common medicines to help facilitate healing and acted as a painkiller. Hopefully with enough of it, he and Fuego could manage to cross the Rime Kingdom without any stops due to pain. Reaching his hand to tap the grimmkin’s shoulder he lowered the bottle to Fuego’s line of sight. 

“Here, this should help dull the pain enough for you to be able to stand for a bit, just enough to get some food in you and for the doctor to look at your wounds.” João watched as Fuego lifted his head to eye at the tonic before nodding, giving the butterfly the go ahead to tip the solution into his mouth. He didn’t stop tipping it until it was all gone, hearing the poor bug below him cough at the odd taste. 

Fuego almost gagged at how  _ bitter  _ it tasted, but after a bit he could feel the effects already dimming the knife sharp pains into something more akin to a dull throbbing. He waited for a moment, testing out how tolerable the pain was before bringing his arms beneath him. With help from João, the butterfly’s hands reaching to offer support, he managed to lift his upper body up enough to slowly slide one of legs to the side and down onto the floor. Testing his weight, finding the pain to be not as bad as he expected, he placed his weight onto it and stood. 

Standing up was a different experience from placing his foot on ground. The grimmkin nearly buckled, grabbing João’s arms to find balance as both of his legs trembled, pain radiating from his lower back. The butterfly grunted as he bore most of the shaking bug’s weight. Waiting for the swimming in his vision to die down Fuego mumbled an apology.

João shook his head, “Take it easy, I’d offer another Soul Potion, but I don’t think the doctor would approve.” Glancing towards the stonefly watching them from another table. The doctor in question perked up before calling out, “Drinking more than one potion in the same day would lead to an overdose, so no.” 

Fuego cursed, yes the tonic helped, but the action of standing left him breathless. How would he and João be able to cross the Kingdom and the mountain range if he could barely keep himself from pitching forward? Swiveling his head to stare at the doctor, Fuego questioned him, “How often could I drink it before I’m at risk of an overdose?” 

Dr. Waxlin hummed, rising from his seat to get a closer look at the both of them, “Well the closest time interval between doses would be every 12 hours.” As he neared them he clucked, “I’ll take a look at those gashes on you after you eat, Dama told me that your tail was removed, you’re going to have balance problems for a while.” 

“I don’t think we’ll be able to start our journey tomorrow,” João realized, “Shit, the more time we spend here, the greater the risk of being caught by the King’s soldiers.” Looking up at Fuego the butterfly saw a look of guilt cross his face. “Ah, it’s not your fault though, we’ll just need to think of an easier way to cross than on foot,” João quickly said, “We can try leaving no later than tomorrow night, hopefully by that time you’re able to walk better.” 

“Tomorrow night would be the best course of action for you two, the King’s men are already combing the different districts for both a monarch butterfly and a tall injured bug.” Dr. Waxlin advised, “I almost told Dama I wouldn’t help, crossing the King would have me executed, but I did have a debt to repay, so consider yourselves lucky.” 

João and Fuego nodded at the stonefly, tomorrow night was their only chance at escaping Glacier Point without a major risk of meeting a blockade. Noticing how Fuego’s trembling had lessened, the butterfly decided to test how well he could walk. As long as he was able to move, even if it was with João as support, that meant they would be able to travel with no major trouble. 

“Fuego, do you think you can manage to walk over to the bar with my help?” João asked, “You can lean on the counter while you eat, just to make sure you don’t mess with your tail stub.” The grimmkin mulled it over before nodding, it wouldn’t hurt to try walking, well it  _ will  _ hurt but that was given. 

“I think I can manage up to the bar,” Fuego replied, “Sorry in advance if I fall and take you down with me.” Steeling himself for the impending pain walking would bring to him, Fuego shifted his body inch by inch to face the bar counter, João slowly moving along with him. When he was in position he nodded to the butterfly to start leading him to it. Guiding his arms to hold onto his biceps for support, João slowly started backing up towards the counter. 

Taking a small test step Fuego hissed as his muscles protested the movement. Trying to look down to see his feet led to a wave of vertigo that almost pitched him forward into João. 

“Hey, hey, don’t look down, focus on me ok?” the butterfly exclaimed, watching as Fuego grimaced before locking his eye onto João’s. “It’s ok, you just need to walk a few feet and then you’ll be done.” He glanced back to make sure no obstructions were in the way before giving the grimmkin an encouraging smile. 

With a pained grunt Fuego nodded, allowing João permission to start advancing. Stars, each footstep, even under the effects of the Soul Potion, felt like a Nail was being jabbed into his entire leg. Sometimes his claws would spasm from a sharper pain, and his hands would squeeze the butterfly harder for a few seconds, causing a hiss to escape João. Each time he’d hurriedly apologize, and each time João brushed it off, knowing it wasn’t intentional. 

Finally after what seemed an eternity for the pained bug they reached the counter. That’s when João sidestepped, leading his hands to grip the wood and Fuego leaned on the counter, panting from the short trip. 

“There, you did it, how are you feeling right now?” João asked. The walk had taken a toll on the grimmkin, but there didn’t seem to be any major pain that had hindered his movement. It left the butterfly relieved to see that their goal of leaving the next night proved feasible. 

Fuego took a few moments to catch his breath before answering, “I’m feeling like shit, but so far that was better than I expected.” He lifted his head to see João cross into the other side of the counter. The sound of clinking glass and a soft humming reached his ears as the monarch grabbed two glasses; filling the both of them with an amber liquid. 

“Before we get some food for you, why not a shot of rum?” João said, “We both deserve it after all that we’ve been through.” Sliding one glass towards Fuego, João lifted the other and tilted it towards him in a toast, before knocking it down in one swallow. The grimmkin smiled before lifting his own glass and repeating the gesture towards the butterfly, content to simply sip the sweet liquid. 

After finishing the drink, Fuego felt much lighter, a warmth pooling in his chest. Must’ve been some strong rum to have him feeling an effect so soon, or maybe it was the Soul Potion rushing the alcohol through his system. As he watched the butterfly grab both glasses to rinse them in the sink he called out to him, “Say I don’t think I ever asked, but what’s in the pack on your chest?” 

João stiffened, his hands clutching the glasses he had been currently washing. “It’s nothing important, but it is one of my reasons for leaving the palace.” His back was still turned away from the bug leaning on the counter, hiding the fogged look that washed over his dark eyes. “Please don’t ask about it, and if something does happen to it, don’t question why I have it.” 

“I’m sorry, it must be a touchy subject.” Fuego apologized.  _ Damnit Fuego, now look what you’ve done, you made him uncomfortable!  _ He internally cursed at himself before speaking, “I swear I’m a better conversationalist when I’m not in pain.”

Turning back to face him João placed the now clean glasses back where he had found them. “I’m sure you are,” the butterfly clipped, “I’m gonna go see if there’s any food in the kitchens for you.” As he started for the kitchens, Dama burst through the doors, a small plate of what seemed to be a smoked icetik sandwich in her hands. “Ah, good timing.” João murmured. 

“Sorry I took a while, had to make sure that everything was set up for the both of you to spend the night up in my apartment,” The cricket placed the plate down next to Fuego, who had said a small thank you before grabbing it in one hand and promptly began eating it. “Don’t give me that look João, I’m not going to have either of you sleeping here in the bar! What if the King’s men try searching here in the middle of the night? A few of the guards enjoy drinking away my reserves, it’ll be only a matter of time before they come knocking.”

The butterfly was about to retort before he sighed, Dama was right, they would be safer sleeping up in her apartment. But still, all the risk she was putting herself through in helping them, it didn’t feel right to the butterfly to keep asking her for more than what she had already done. She had been the only friend that he had trusted to not reveal his plans of escape to Serenitus. He didn’t know what he’d do if she was revealed to have helped them. 

Fuego watched their exchange, mouth full of the icetik sandwich. He realized he hadn’t eaten since the morning he exited the range, and even though all he was eating was just a type of roll with meat it tasted like the best dish he had ever eaten. Once he finished swallowing the last bite he sighed, happy to have eaten after all the shit that had happened before. 

Noticing the empty plate Dama spoke up, “Had your fill?” When the grimmkin nodded an affirmative she continued, “We’re better off bringing you upstairs for Dr. Waxlin to take a better look at you, you think you could manage that?” At that he paused, walking only a few feet had been painful, climbing stairs would be an even greater challenge. He was just going to have to bite the ashes and endure it if it meant a softer place to rest than the booth had been. 

“I’ll try.” Was what Fuego replied with. With a small grunt he pushed himself upright, hands still holding onto the bar counter. João rounded the counter to stand by his side and the grimmkin wrapped an arm around the other’s shoulder, ready to make the arduous trip to Dama’s apartment. The cricket hummed before opening the door to the kitchen and ushering them to go through. Dr. Waxlin, who had sat back in his seat while Fuego had eaten, jumped up to follow closely behind to act as support in case they needed it. 

Limping into the kitchen was slow work, but they all reached the next door with no major pain from Fuego’s injuries hindering them. When Dama unlocked the door that led to the stairwell Fuego’s hold on João tightened for a moment. Shuffling up to the first step he took a deep breath before lifting his foot and shifting his weight to step onto the stair. Immediately his eye snapped open wide and he let out a yelp at the white-hot pain that shot through his back. 

_ This was not going to go well  _

He brought his other foot to rest on the stair, hearing soft encouragement from the other three bugs to take his time. Leaning more on João he sucked in his breath before taking another step, feeling the pain flare before resting. The entire trip up to the apartment went like that, Fuego taking his time between each step, sometimes nearly buckling at how intense the pain felt, until they finally got to the landing. 

Entering the hallway that led to Dama’s apartment was quicker than climbing the stairs, as they all rushed to get the exhausted grimmkin into the apartment, The cricket swiftly unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a small living area and a door on the left that presumably led to her room. “Alright you’re both taking my room, we can lay you down on my nest so that Doc here can look at your stub Fuego.” The cricket instructed as she flung the door leading to her room wide open for the butterfly and the grimmkin to shuffle into. With a soft grunt João brought Fuego to one side of Dama’s nest and helped him lay face down into the soft blankets. 

After Fuego’s body landed in the nest he groaned, feeling how soft the sheets beneath him were, and his eye closed. He could finally rest. The butterfly at the side of the nest shoulders slumped, before turning towards the living room, intending to rest on Dama’s couch while Dr. Waxlin dealt with Fuego’s gashes. 

Flopping down into the cushions João sighed, his own eyes felt heavy, and the dark sky visible through a window was not helping him as the soft flurry of flakes compelled him to sleep. Placing his arms under his pack he had just started drifting off to sleep when he was shaken awake. With a start he hissed before noticing it was Dama, instead sending her a glare for disturbing his rest. “How long was I out?”

“Out long enough, go sleep in my room. Dr. Waxlin already stitched up Fuego’s eye and tail stump, he left just not long ago,” The cricket quietly said, “I’ll be fine sleeping on the couch ok? Don’t worry about me.” The butterfly nodded at her before rising to his feet. With a small goodnight he entered the bedroom. Fuego was currently asleep on the same side he had placed him in, good eye squished into a pillow. Slowly unclasping the pack from his chest the butterfly placed it on a cushion on the other side of the nest before sliding under the sheets next to it. Laying on his side to not crumple his orange wings João faced the sleeping grimmkin next to him. Fresh bandages covered his left eye and the butterfly could hear his soft, wheezing breath puffing out in rhythmic intervals. 

“Goodnight Fuego, we have a very long day ahead of us,” The butterfly whispered, “I pray to the North Star that our travel is uneventful.” He glanced down to the pack he was currently curled around before closing his eyes. Letting himself drift off, his dreams were tinted with an uneasy miasma. 

* * *

When the Sun arose, so did Fuego. He lifted his head and cracked his eye open to see João asleep facing him. Feeling a small pool of heat rise to his face he shifted his attention to the pack currently resting on a pillow between them. The top of the bag had shifted, revealing a cream colored surface peeking out. The grimmkin squinted, he couldn’t tell what it was and even though his curiosity was piqued, he refused to open it, respecting João’s wishes. Though he could have swore the bag twitched, but maybe it was just his recovering mind playing tricks on him. 

The rest he had did wonders for his pain, which had lessened even more, and he thanked his Wyrm parentage for speeding up the healing process. Hopefully he would be able to walk a lot better than yesterday, but the only way to know would be to see for himself. Silently pushing his upper body up with his arms he swiveled one leg to the edge of the nest. Testing his weight like how he did getting up from the booth he found that he couldn’t feel it press into the floor. Furrowing his brow he twisted his whole body to have both of his legs over the nest. He gingerly placed the other foot down until he felt the floor, but he couldn’t  _ feel  _ his feet pressing into the ground. It was a weird feeling. 

Deciding to just test how well he could stand he braced himself before lifting himself up. Instead of pain stabbing into him, he just felt as if static encompased his lower body as he stood up from the nest, hands still planted into the sheets for leverage. Ok, he could deal with this type of feeling in his legs, he just needed to get used to not feeling them, then he’d be ready to travel. Standing for a bit to make sure his footing was secure he heard João stir.

“Good morning.” The grimmkin greeted the butterfly as he opened his eyes. João groaned before he awoke fully with a start at the sight of Fuego standing. Fumbling to get up from the nest he cursed, “By the North Star how are you able to stand by yourself?” 

Fuego shrugged, “Must be the fact I’m half-Wyrm, their healing abilities are much faster than normal bugs.” With that João blinked, “You’re half-Wyrm?” Fuego nodded. 

The butterfly stood there stunned for a moment, before shaking his head. He wasn’t going to pry further, they had a journey to prepare for. Rounding the nest the butterfly offered his arm to Fuego, “At least you aren’t halfway to passing out, c’mon let’s go to the living room and see if Dama’s got any breakfast for us.” 

As the grimmkin accepted his arm he spoke, “Alright, but just to let you know I currently can’t feel my legs on the floor, just to warn you if I trip you it is not on purpose.” João quirked a brow at him before nodding, starting to lead Fuego to the living area. True to his words Fuego stumbled along, feet scrabbling into the wood of the apartment. This just made João hold him tighter, muttering a “If I was a stronger bug I’d just carry you.” that got a snort from Fuego before he mistepped again. 

Luckily neither of them brought down the other as they finally made it to the living room. Dama was currently wrapping what looked like packets of food and stuffing them into packs. Hearing them shuffle into the room the cricket gave them a smile. When João led Fuego to lean on the table she revealed two plates of scrambled aphid eggs and toasted snow lily bread. 

“I hope you like your aphid eggs scrambled! My pop always said having a filling breakfast always makes a day better and you both will definitely need a good meal before you head out right now.” The cricket smiled when Fuego’s eyes lit up as he brought the first forkful to his mouth and began to eat with gusto. “I also took the liberty of raiding my kitchen’s stock for the journey, there should be enough to last until you get through the range,” With a smaller voice she leaned towards João, “I also packed some extra,  _ just in case something happens _ .” 

The butterfly nodded before replying, “Thank you Dama, but wait, aren’t we leaving tonight?” At that the cricket froze before glancing at the two bugs currently at the table. With a shaky breath she explained, “The plan has changed, Serenitus’s soldiers are already in this district. When I was coming back from the grocers with a few extra supplies I got stopped by a group of them asking if I’ve seen you two. Luckily I managed to give them a good enough lie but I know that they’re already suspicious. I need to get you two out of Glacier Point fast or else we’ll all be arrested.” 

João’s eyes widened before his expression turned serious. He quickly finished the eggs and stood up, placed the empty dish in the sink before entering the bedroom to put on his chest pack. His breath started to grow uneven as he clipped the clasps into place. They only had one shot at leaving, and he was scared. He’d rather fling himself into the ice floes than go back to the palace.

Returning back to the living room he saw Dama tying one of the packs to Fuego in preparation. When they noticed him Fuego gave him a small smile and asked, “Are you ready to head out?” The butterfly nodded before reaching to hoist the other pack onto his hips to not disturb his wings. With a small hum he checked every tie to make sure everything was secure and once he was satisfied he walked to stand by the grimmkin currently swaying at the weight of the back pack. 

Dama gave João a sad smile before a soft “oh!” escaped her. “Hold on, I have just one more gift to give you two,” She proclaimed before opening the door, “But first let’s get back down into the bar.” 

Exiting Dama’s apartment and descending the stairs were easier tasks than climbing the stairs the night prior, except for a few slips due to Fuego’s inability to feel where he was stepping. As they reached the kitchens Dama slipped into the darkened bar and went through the Tailor Shop entrance, leaving the other two bugs to puzzle out exactly what she had for them. 

While they were waiting João took stock of the speakeasy and his eyes landed on the bottles of Soul Potion that they had forgotten to pack. “Shit,” he cursed as he unhooked his pack to find a way to stuff them in. Leaving all but one packed he asked Fuego, “Do you need a dose right now?” 

The grimmkin mulled it over, on one hand the potion would help the healing process faster, on the other hand the potion's numbing effects would probably paralyze him. Fuego shook his head, he’d have to wait until his nerves restarted to attempt to drink more. “I think I can go without one today, just until the pain flares up enough for me to need it.”

The butterfly stored the bottle in his pack with the rest of them before digging out a folded piece of yellowed parchment. Opening it revealed a map of the Rime Kingdom and the surrounding areas. Placing the map down where they both could see it João started pointing out a route through the kingdom. “Glacier Point is here,” he tapped the northwest corner of the map, “We need to stay off the major roads and any populated areas, so that means traveling through the Everforest.” He moved his finger further south to a forested area, “Once we pass through that we’ll need to quickly get through the snow fields and reach the base of the range; that’s where you take over to get us through the mountains.” He let Fuego study the map for a moment before folding it back up to stow in his pocket. 

“Our major obstacle is leaving Glacier Point without alerting any guard squadrons, after that it’s just watching for any hungry beasts and hypothermia.” João finished. 

“Should be easy, like a stroll in the park,” Fuego dryly mused, “except the park is a frigid countryside with every single bug in it trying to capture you.” 

The butterfly gave him a grim smile before replying, “Yup, just like a stroll in the park.”

  
  


They both paused when they heard Dama shuffle in, her face obscured by bundles of cloth and a mask precariously perched on top of the bundles. With a small wheeze she called out, “João, could you be a dear and help me with this? I feel like I’m going to hit something.” 

João swiftly moved to grab the cloth from the cricket before setting it down onto a table. When he spread the cloth out he noticed that they were hooded cloaks. Thick winter capes with fur lined trim decorating the edges. One was the cloak that the tailor was mending he noted. He held up the mask, fingers brushing over the thin slits that acted as eye holes. 

“Those are for you two! Well the mask is for João, sorry Fuego but we had been planning this escape for months; trying to find a mask that would be tailored for you in under a day was impossible.” Dama said, to which the grimmkin replied with a soft “It’s alright.” The butterfly folded his wings as flat on his back as they could before wrapping one of the cloaks over his body, clasping the brooch at the collar. Flipping the hood over his head, mindful of his antenna, and affixing the mask over his face he turned towards the other two bugs. 

There was a soft gasp before Dama spoke up, “I can’t even recognize you, and I doubt any guard would either.” Her voice slightly muffled due to the thick fabric currently atop João’s head. 

“That’s a good thing.” The butterfly responded, watching as Fuego shakily donned his coat, the backpack giving his slim figure a hump on his back. Placing the hood of his cloak over his horns obscured his face in shadows, just as long as he didn't lift his head. 

The butterfly reached under his cloak to pat at his chest pack, making sure that none of it peeked out from the centerfold before standing next to Fuego. 

They were ready to escape Glacier Point. 

Dama wrapped her arms around João, mindful of the chest pack, “I’m going to miss you so much dear, but I know that you’re going to be much happier in the Empire.” she said with a slight quiver in her voice, “If I could I’d join you, but I can’t leave this all behind. Just- just think of me often will you?” João hugged her back, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes, “How could I ever forget about you? You’re my best friend.” 

He heard her breath hitch before she squeezed his frame tighter for a moment and let go to stand in front of Fuego. “And you, I know we just met yesterday but you already feel like a friend,” she warbles as she took one of his hands into her own, “You be careful, and please take care of João, even if it’s just for the trip, he means the world to me.” 

Fuego gave her a soft smile, “I will, don’t worry, I owe the both of you a life debt,” he squeezed her hand before letting go to loop his arm into João’s, “If you ever change your mind, the Empire would welcome you with open arms.” 

The cricket nodded, wiping a spare tear that had escaped her eyes, “I’ll keep that in mind, but come on, the more time we spend here the less time we have for you to escape.” She led them to the entrance they had entered from the other day before opening the secret passageway that led into the tailor shop itself. 

The shopkeep currently sat at the register, eyes transfixed on the store entrance before flicking towards the group. Rising from his stool he gave a gruff snort, “You're all very lucky, the Strider Sleds are set to all leave in an hour’s time, that’s your ticket outta here.” 

“I’m sorry what are-” before Fuego could finish his question he got interrupted by João hissing out, “I’ll explain later  _ let’s go.”  _ as Dama held the shop door open for them to stride out back into the icy alleyway, a fresh cover of powdery snow blanketing the street. It was blessedly devoid of other bugs as the group of three traveled to the edge of the city, sticking to the shadows of storefronts and sidewalks. According to Dama, a lockdown had been put in place for all non-working citizens in an attempt to find the escaped bugs. As long as they stayed away from guard patrols sweeping every building they’d be safe. 

If only it were that easy. 

They had finally reached the edge of the city after a tense 40 minutes ducking into alleys and narrowly evading soldiers. The Strider Station was in sight, but as they sped up to reach it they all heard the telltale metal clanking of Palace Soldiers behind them. A deep voice boomed out, “Halt! All citizens must show proof of work to be outside. Turn around and provide proper identification.” 

Fuego could hear João’s breath quicken, and his arm was gripped in a vice grip. His panic was growing as well, the guards would lift his hood up and they’d be goners once they realized he was the escaped Empire Prince. 

It was Dama who moved first, turning around and digging a crumpled piece of paper from her robe. “Oh don’t mind us Officers, I’m just getting a few bolts of fabric for my associate’s tailor shop!” her cheery voice hitched an octave, “These two are just my assistants.” 

The lead guard in the squadron of 5 yanked the paper out of her grip and inspected it, giving a grunt as he gave it back to her. “That accounts for you, but your assistants need to turn around and hand me their papers as well.” He barked out. When the two bugs refused to face them the guard snarled, “I’m going to give you the count of three to turn around or else I’ll have my men arrest you!” 

“ **One**!” 

Fuego started shaking.

“ **Two**!” 

João tensed, if he was going to be arrested he’d rather injure a few guards instead of going down docile. 

“ **Three**!” 

Two things happened at once, João whipped around, dagger in hand ready to attack the nearing soldiers, and Dama quickly twisted the lead guards arm hard enough that his hand lost its grip on his Nail before she grabbed it. Parrying an attack from another guard the cricket yelled, “What are you two doing? Run!” 

“C’mon you sorry lot! I dare you to try to best me Nail to Nail!” The cricket taunted, hoping to buy them time to get to the Station. 

As the two bugs snapped out of their panic it was less of a run and more of the butterfly dragging Fuego as he hobbled along the icy road. They could hear the clashing of metal and the guards barking orders at each other to split up to follow them. They burst into the Strider Station, the Strider handler squawking as the bugs skidded into one of the sled terminals. In it a small beetle started to yell at them for being in their terminal before the butterfly let go of the grimmkin to roundhouse kick them, slamming their body into the snow. 

João thanked his lucky stars that the sled was already set up, the Striders harnessed and straining to run. “Get in the cargo bed!” the butterfly instructed. In the distance he could hear the Palace soldiers already enter the Station. Fuego hesitated, getting on the bed of the sled meant sitting, something he hadn’t tried to do since before he was mauled. 

“What are you waiting for? Get the hell on the sled or I. Will. Leave. You!”

Fuego grimaced before lowering his body into the bed, making sure that his whole upper body was covered by the tarp encompassing most of the sled. Nothing hurt due to his nerve endings being shut down but there was still a pressure on his backside that made him uncomfortable. 

As soon as he was in the cargo bed João hopped onto the foot boards and slashed the cords tying the sled to the terminal. With a shout of “Hike!” the Striders bolted into the frozen tundra yipping and hissing, dragging the sled along with them at a growing pace. The wind’s icy claws raked over the butterfly’s form as he turned his head around to see two guards trying to catch up to them by foot, their bodies becoming smaller as the sled ran more distance. 

He let out a short laugh before calling out “Gee” for the Striders to turn right, heading into the tree line and off the road. The Striders, used to working off road, weaved through snow banks and trees as they entered the fringes of the Everforest. As they travelled deeper into the forest João slowed the Striders down from a gallop to a trot, sighing in relief as the tree cover grew thicker. 

“We made it!” Fuego called up to him, “MonteSangre here we come!” 

The butterfly let out a puff of breath before his mood soured, they made it out of Glacier Point, but at the cost of Dama risking her life for them to escape. Beneath his mask he let the tears flow freely, if she was arrested for helping them Serenitus would kill her, or at the least torture her. He may have found his freedom, but he also lost his best friend. 

There was no time to fully grieve now, he could mourn as much as he needed to once they reached safety. 

Before he could ask if Fuego was ok he felt his chest pack  _ twitch.  _ With a gasp he held onto the sled handle with one hand, and with the other he unclasped the top of the pack. Finger’s grazing the smooth surface to hopefully not find what he feared he would find. 

“ _ Oh no, no no no!  _ You are not supposed to hatch right now!” With a frantic yelp he halted the sled to a standstill in the thick forest. Fuego tilted his head up to see what was wrong, and when the butterfly took off his mask he could see a new panic arise in his eyes. He struggled to get up as João grabbed a cord to tie the sled to a nearby tree before kneeling in the snow. 

“João? Is everything alright?” He questioned, using the sled handles to balance himself as he stared at the butterfly’s unmoving form. At his voice João’s head jerked up before bringing his cupped hands into view. Fuego squinted his eye to try to discern what he was seeing from the white snow before he stood there stunned. 

In João’s hands there was a cream colored egg, cracks starting to appear like spiderwebs across the surface. A muffled  _ squeak  _ could be heard from the inside. 

_ It was hatching. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, wow I'm honored that you have decided to read my OC story! This is going to be a 2 part, maybe 3 at the most fic. Let me know what you think! Or send an ask over to my tumblr saturno-sol if you want to know more about my OCs.
> 
> I promise I will get back to the Modern AU fics (I have another GrimmGhost fic almost ready) lol
> 
> Thank you!


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